Locathah

Locathah

Species	humanoid (ichthyes)
No. Appearing	3–30
Behaviour	clan
Range	intertidal, ocean bank
Size	5 ft. 9 in. tall
Weight	190 lbs.
Intelligence	11–12
Armour Class	6
Hit Dice	2+3
Action Points	5
Max. Stride	5
THAC0	20
Hp/Die	d8
Attack Forms	1: dagger or trident
Damage	dagger (1-4); trident (2-8)
Special Attacks	dagger & trident, speak with animals, tongue

Locathah are a humanoid race of aquatic nomads, navigating the shallow seas in pursuit of hunting and gathering. They are most notorious for their raids along the coasts of the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, with occasional sightings in the Persian Gulf. Despite their reputation as raiders, they also engage in trade, exchanging pearls and corals for mithril or bartering with fishing vessels in return for a share of the daily catch.

Locathah possess fish-like heads, featuring large, fin-like ears and big, glassy eyes that provide them with keen underwater vision. Their bodies are covered in protective scales, which vary in shade depending on their region and age. Unlike many predatory aquatic species, they have toothless mouths, relying instead on a specialised diet suited to their coastal lifestyle. Distinctive hair-like growths sprout behind their ears and along their chins, lending them a striking, almost ceremonial appearance.

History

Locathah have had almost no influence on Terran history, as their interactions with surface dwellers remain limited and infrequent. Contact between humans and these aquatic nomads only began a century ago, with some speculation that Portuguese traders may have been the first to initiate communication.

Despite their occasional raids, there are no recorded instances of locathah serving as mercenaries or conducting organised coastal assaults. However, small scouting or raiding parties have been known to plunder sparsely populated shorelines. It is widely believed that such raids are not driven by conquest but rather by necessity, as increased fishing by surface dwellers has likely reduced their food supply within their native waters.

Attempts to engage with locathah diplomatically have yielded little insight into their society or motivations. Efforts to send envoys or study their culture have met with resistance, and little beyond basic trade interactions has been established. Estimates suggest that the global locathah population is small, potentially numbering only 20,000 to 40,000 individuals, making them a rare and enigmatic presence in the world's oceans.

Fighting

Locathah favour tridents and daggers as their primary weapons, each crafted from hardened fish bone with multiple serrated points to maximise their lethality in underwater combat. They possess an innate proficiency with these weapons, granting them +1 to hit and damage.

Occasionally, a locathah within a party will wield a short, thin dagger made from bone and mithril, a rare material among their kind due to its resistance to saltwater corrosion. These daggers are always magical, carrying a +1 dweomer, making them prized possessions among their warriors.

A distinctive trait of locathah is their long, two-pronged tongue, which can extend up to two hexes in a rapid, whip-like strike. Though rigid, the tongue does no direct damage, instead serving as a stunning mechanism when it lashes at an opponent's head or eyes. If a target is struck and stunned, and the locathah is partially submerged, they will often use this moment to pull the victim into the water, exploiting their disorientation. A stunned victim caught in such a maneuver must pass a dexterity check (-4 penalty) or topple forward into the water, further disadvantaging them in combat.

Locathah have also been observed communicating with sea-going animals, though whether this extends to training or controlling them remains unknown. Encounters suggest a natural affinity for marine creatures, potentially offering them an advantage in both navigation and combat within their underwater domain.

See Bestiary